Time Changes All
by pendragon94
Summary: Sookie Stackhouse vanished from Eric's life, as well as everyone else's, over 50 years ago. Now she's been spotted close to her old home, and Eric is determined to find her. Will he find her for a happy reunion, or will everything spiral into disaster? POV shifts between Sookie and Eric. Based as though Sookie had left right after the Marnie incident.
1. Chapter 1

She moves quickly, packing up all her clothes into bags and boxes, before loading them into the black car. It was nothing special, an old Chrysler that even after all the costs still left her just over a thousand dollars in cash. When she was almost done packing, she got out the appropriate paperwork for Eric, and left it lying on the table in the dining room. After a little while of not hearing from her, he would surely come to investigate, and she knew he would find it.

Within two hours, the extra seats and trunk were filled with her possessions. "Eric Northman is invited to come in my house anytime." She said it as a whisper while she still stood in the front door, and then she drove.

Just before she left, she's told Jason what she was doing, and that she would try to get in touch. She hoped it wouldn't take her too long to find a new place. Through Lafayette she'd already gotten her hands on a fake birth certificate, with a fake name, and with it she wanted to start her new life.

The route she took put her through Shreveport, and right past Fangtasia. It was almost impossible for her not to stop, and say goodbye, but she knew it would make more problems than solutions. She caught a glimpse of Pam at the front door, and even though the blond vampire had never been the nicest to her, she knew she would miss her. She also knew that it was quickly going to get very hard for her not to come home with the absence of Eric weighing on her heart.

2 Weeks Later

She stood on the beach, looking out over the waves, and wondered what was going to happen next. Using her limited skills, she had managed to get a job as a secretary for a law firm, and had used the cash she had with her to pay two months' rent on a place to live. It wasn't anything much, just a simple studio apartment with a small bathroom, and within walking distance of her work.

She enjoyed the ocean. When she was younger, she'd heard from other people how beautiful it could be, but she'd never really believed the things they said. Then when she'd seen it for the first time, it had taken her breathe away.

Now she lived to see it everyday, and she had no reservations about enjoying it up close. The water felt like magic on her skin, and it kept her going, because she knew that she never had to leave it.


	2. Chapter 2

I step into the bar, and look over at Pam. She's standing behind the bar, and even though she's right there, it seems like she is far away. Her hands move, but with no real purpose, and she looks troubled.

"Is something wrong?" I ask, and she actually jumps. She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed me come in.

Her eyes show her uncertainty, and I know that she is unsure if she should tell me something or not. Then finally she nods, as though reassuring herself, and starts to speak. "Sookie Stackhouse was spotted in Bon Temps last night, just before dawn. I woke up with the message on my phone." I stare at her, stunned, and the memories play through my head.

_I drive up to her house, and find it eerily quiet. No one is around, and when I open the front door, the air is stale. Walking in, I find that most of her personal belongings are gone, and her closet is empty. Anger colors my vision red and I don't know to do. Going down to her dining room, I see the table is bare, except for a single envelope. My name is scrawled across the front it. Tearing the seal, I pull the contents out, and find a deed to the house. It has been signed back into my name. _

_A scrap of paper falls to the floor, and when I pick it up, I see her handwriting. _

Forever is never as long as it seems.

_The message makes me wonder as to what she could mean. Where did she go? I go back outside, and am surprised to see her car setting behind the house. The key is pinned under one of the windshield wipers, and I see the title inside that she has already signed. _

_I spent the night questioning everyone she knew, and finally I find the last person on my list when he pulls into his driveway. Jason Stackhouse gets out of his truck, and is walking up to his door when I appear behind him. "Where is she?" I demand, and he jumps, turning around. _

_His face falls when he goes to answer, "I don't know. She stopped by a week ago and told me she was leaving. She used all her savings and got another car, and I haven't heard from her yet. When I asked her why, she said that she couldn't take the stress of it all anymore. Too many vamps and shit trying to control her around here, so she didn't tell me where she was going, and just drove off."_

_I'd glamoured him and asked him again, and he'd said almost the exact same thing. _

Since that night, it has been fifty years.

Even though I had never given up my search of her, I no longer tried as hard as I had in the first five years. Especially not with the opening of the new Fangtasia, because the last one had burnt to the ground over a year prior. Pam had also been pushing me to drop it, since the woman that I had known all those years prior, would no longer exist. She would be in her seventies, probably with kids and grandkids, living in an old house somewhere with her husband. Her brother Jason would receive a call from her maybe once or twice a year, and just recently she had decided to visit him. She probable never imagined that I would stay in the same place for so long. Perhaps she'd be happy to see me.

I stop my train of thought, and bring myself back to reality. Pam is still standing there, staring at me, and I simply nod. Nothing can happen just yet. I need to see this woman, see who she is, and then perhaps I will decide if a reunion is necessary. Continuing on my path, I get into my new office, and sit behind the solid maple desk. Reaching down into a desk drawer, I pull out my file with the woman's name on it, and start to go through it again. I've done this more than a thousand times, but for some unknown reason, I still feel like I'm missing something. As though there is something that I haven't discovered even after all my previous attempts.

I look through everything for a couple of hours, before finally filing it all away again, and grabbing my jacket to leave. Pam didn't say anything as I passed her office, and when I got outside, I jumped into the sky. Reaching Sookie's old house only takes about ten minutes, and I am happy to see it still intact. She had originally left the house for me, and after a couple of years of just keeping it nice, I finally moved in.

Over time I had installed a security system, made the whole place light tight, and had even expanded the underground area to include two large bedrooms with bathrooms attached, a library, an office, and a kitchen. It served as a good place to have whenever Pam decided to stay over, or when an old friend would drop by.

All the updates had been as secretive and hidden as possible, keeping the integrity that Sookie had always loved. As I stepped up onto the porch, I typed a code into a small keypad on the wall, and opened the door a second later when it unlocked for me.

The front porch had been redone, and shined like new, which went well with the fresh coats of paint. A florist had replanted all the plants in the garden whenever they died, and I'd even put thought into installing a pool in the backyard. The upstairs was kept as close to original as possible, with exception for being light tight, and having all the hardware in different areas updated. For the most part I stayed in the underground areas, and didn't linger around too long.

My mind betrayed me, and the memories hit me of the day I went upstairs, and no longer could smell her in her own room. It had taken nearly thirty years for her undisturbed scent to completely disappear. Once her scent had gone, I'd had her bed replaced, and hadn't gone up those stairs since then.

My phone buzzes as I go down the stairs to my area, and I check it, seeing that Pam has sent me a text.

_Shes been spotted near her brothers house._

I nearly drop the phone as I race outside, and start to fly.

I'm high up as I get to her brother's house, and I don't see any lights on. The place is mostly quiet, until I hear the sound of Jason's voice, and the lights in the living room switch on. Coming down outside the window, I'm frustrated to see thick curtains blocking my view. But I can still hear everything inside with crystal clarity.

"It's been a long time since I heard from you, let alone seen you." Jason's voice shows his age, but it still easily recognizable as him. Now in his late seventies, he has three kids, two grandchildren, and a single great grandchild. They all live in different areas of Louisiana, but none have gone out of state. I wait anxiously for a reply from someone.

"I know, and I'm sorry for that. There wasn't much of a choice for me to visit. Once I started training, I wasn't allowed to quit until I had completed it. Trust me, there were plenty of times when all I wanted to do was come see you, or even talk to you, but I couldn't. They wouldn't let me, I'm sorry." The voice I hear sounds exactly like it did the last time I saw her. It confuses me, since she should be well into her seventies, but I don't dwell on it. I take a deep breath, hoping to catch her scent, but strangely it's absent. Her words swirl in my head, and I wonder who she's talking about that wouldn't let her talk to Jason. If someone had held her against her will, they would pay for it.

"It's alright Sook, you're here now, and that's what matters." I can hear what sounds like them hugging for a moment, and then she speaks again.

"How have the kids been?" She questions him, and he sighs.

"J's finally settled down, but his boy Jake is causing him some trouble. I swear all the boys have ended up being just like me. Mary's of course doing good, her and Sarah actually moved in together since Kate has a place of her own now." Jason Jr., Mary and Sarah were Jason's children, with Kate being Mary's daughter, and Jason Jr. having his boy Jake. Kate had met a man right out of high school, and they had recently moved in together, leaving Mary alone. Kate's daughter Lindsey was Jason's only great grandchild, and luckily for him none of his decedents showed the spark for being fae. I kept track of the family through the years, always prepared if the need should arise for me to step in. Not long after Sookie had gone away, I had promised Jason that I could help if he ever had any supernatural trouble. The woman he'd married just a year after Sookie left, Jana, had passed away from a heart attack ten years ago. I'd ended up helping him with her funeral costs, since his income never went beyond his job as Sheriff. He'd retired just two years ago.

"That's good; at least the sisters have each other. I'd love to see the little girl of Kate's, where is her and her man living now?" There's a sad tone to her voice, and I wonder if she misses the family that she's never met.

"Just on the edge of New Orleans. I helped them get a nice three bedroom house with lots of yard, perfect for the kid, and they visit me every couple of weeks. The little one, Lindsey, looks just like you. All blond hair and smiles. But none of them got any of your skills. I think their all fully human, and no offense, but I'm glad for that." He sounds careful, as though trying not to upset her.

"I understand, believe me, I'm happy for you. It was too difficult growing up different in this small town." There's a slight edge to her voice near the end, and I wonder if the events of her childhood still bother her.

They're quiet for a moment, until Jason speaks up. "You look amazing. I've been told I look good for seventy-eight, but I can't believe how the fairy stuff has kept you looking so nice." What is he talking about? Sookie was only ever partially fairy, so her life span shouldn't have been affected at all.

"Thanks, and that's why I'm thinking about moving back here. No one would really recognize me anymore, so I'm hoping to reopen the fairy club. But not as much of a club, as a sanctuary. Since the fairy war is over, a lot of half-lings were released, and they don't have anywhere to go. The clubs been closed for a while now, but it's still there, all I have to do is reopen the portal." How different could she be? Did she change her appearance somehow?

"That's a good idea. If you need any help let me know, and I'll do my best to give you a hand. I can't do too much anymore, but it would be nice to do something other than just lying around the house. I swear retiring is the stupidest thing I've ever done." She laughs, and if my heart were still living, then it would have skipped a beat. It's the same as I remember, and I can't help but smile.

"I don't know about the stupidest thing you've ever done being retirement. I seem to remember a time when you ran into the woods on a full moon thinking you were going to turn into a were-panther." The amusement in her voice lightens my mood, and I hear a snort from her brother.

"Yeah, I guess I did do some crazier stuff in my younger days." He relents, and suddenly I hear someone stand.

"It's been great seeing you Jason, but I really have to get going. We're reopening the portal to the fairy club in a new place tonight, so I have to get going." I hear them hug again. "But before I go, do you know anything about…Gran's house?" She seems hesitant to ask, and I freeze in place.

Jason hesitates as well, and takes a long moment before answering. "Yeah, Eric Northman still owns the place. He's got it fixed up really nice, and last I heard he's living there."

"Oh, well, I have to go." She says, and her voice is flat. Does she not like the idea of me living in her former home?

"Goodbye, Sook." He says, and a second later there is a muted pop. Did she just _teleport_? As I realize that it's the only way that she could have left, I start to wonder just how many powers she's developed.

Jason turns off his lights throughout the house, and goes back to his bedroom. I wait a short while longer, until I'm sure that she's not coming back, before flying away. When I land back at my house, I get out my cell phone, and go through the contacts until I find the one I need.

"Wilson Herveaux." He says, answering his phone. As the son of Alcide, he'd become the pack master when his father had decided to step down. Their pack had grown only slightly over the years, and everyone supported Wilson fully. He was even stronger than his dad in wolf form, and no one had contested his taking over.

"This is Eric Northman. Soon there will be a certain amount of new magical activity in the area, so don't be alarmed, but please notify me of anything your pack discovers. Also, tell your dad that it's concerning the girl that used to live next to Bon Temps cemetery. He'll know what I mean."

"Will do Sheriff, anything else you need?" He asks, and I think for a moment. He'd always been a nicer man toward me than his father, and I had made sure to not take it for granted.

"If the girl seems to be in any trouble, help her out. If I were you then I wouldn't underestimate her, but she has been known to get overwhelmed."

"No problem, get ahold of me if you need anything else." He says, and hangs up without another word.

Going back inside, I heat myself up a true blood, and go downstairs. It's only two hours until dawn.

I spend the rest of my night doing paperwork.

When I wake up the next night, I check my phone, and find a message from Wilson. Hitting play, I listen as his voice comes through the speaker. "Mr. Northman, I know you're not up yet, but I wanted to let you know that we have found something. Nearby the Bon Temps cemetery, there's an old creek, and there's clearing right up next to it. This morning, a couple of our wolves were running past there, and they noticed a blond woman standing there with several others. They performed some sort of spell, and then disappeared through what appears to be a portal. I don't know if this is what you were after, but give me a call if you want us to check it out. Also my dad thanks you for letting him know that she's back."

Downing a bottle of true blood, I change my clothes quickly, and head toward the clearing in the woods. I could smell fairy all over the place, mixed with the scent of Sookie. Also the thick feel of heavy magic hung in the air, and I knew I must be close to the portal. "Sookie?" I call out, and don't get an answer.

I'm surprised to see the air in front of me shimmer after a moment, and I hear her voice. "What are you doing here?"


	3. Chapter 3

_**Sookie's POV**_

I linger near the front door, making sure to keep an eye on things as the others continue with their tasks. I'm on edge, and I don't know why. It's not long before I feel a void coming in from several miles out, and I'm immediately on alert. When Eric lands, he looks directly at me, even though he doesn't know it.

"Sookie?" His voice is tentative, and cautious, but I can hear his hope. I can see the glint of it in his eyes. I hesitate, before passing my hand over the portal and opening it to sound just as Claude had taught me.

"What are you doing here?" I demand, but I don't step into his view.

How will he react, seeing me this way? Will he deny that I am who I am, or will he accept it? Will he still want to know me? Will he still love me?

I remember back to years prior, when I was still mostly human, and I could always see a fire in his eyes for me. He would never admit that he cared, but I watched him from the viewing pools after I had left, and I had never seen him more lifeless. He'd never looked more distant from the world. I'd watched him once as he looked through the folder of things he'd collected on me, and I wondered if he would finally put it together. Every time I had called Jason over the years, I hadn't just randomly found a phone, but I had purpose. I'd never told anyone how well I had done at Geography in High School, and I'd used my knowledge to plot my phone calls with reason.

He doesn't respond for a moment, and simply stares at the seemingly empty air in front of him. "I…I'm honestly not sure. I expected, after so long, to find you perhaps with children and grandchildren, but not like this. I really don't know what to say to you."

I'm about to open my mouth, when I see Calvin coming up from my right, looking ready for a fight. I wave him off without a word, pointing him back to his work, and he turns with a grunt. Despite keeping out of their heads, I know he likes me, and hates the idea that I was ever with a vampire. They are the cause for his parent's death, and he's always held a grudge for that.

"Eric, why did you keep my house?" The question surprises me, and I'm not even sure why I asked it.

His mouth drops for a second, and he thinks it through before answering. "For a long time, I just kept it nice, in case you returned. But when you didn't, I moved in. It made me feel closer to you. It made me remember." The sadness surrounding him is unbearable, and I can't help the urge to rush into his arms and comfort him. I'd thought for sure that after so long he would have forgotten me, or at least moved away.

But I only take a single step forward, before stopping myself.

I can't put him in danger. If he gets to close, then he will become a target, and I won't allow that.

"Eric, I don't know what to say about that, but you need to leave. You can't be here. I can't have you here." If Niall found that I had let him get too close to the others, he would kill Eric, as well as Pam and any other vampire that Eric associated with too closely.

His brow furrows, and for a moment he looks angry. Then suddenly he looks resigned, and nods slightly. "I suppose I understand if you want me to leave." My heart breaks and all I want to do is go to him. He turns to walk away, and I can't stop myself from stepping through the portal.

"Eric…" He turns around, and his eyes widen. He stares at me, unblinking, for several seconds before rushing forward. Reaching out, his hand is just millimeters from my face, when suddenly he's blasted away from behind me.

"No!" I screech, and twist around to blast Calvin back into the portal, before waving my hand and closing it. Eric is thrown away from me by the blast, and lands several hundred feet away in the underbrush. I rush over to him, and he's stunned for a split second. Then he's up and growling, and starts to storm toward the portal.

"Eric, stop." I pop from behind him to in front of him, and he doesn't move anymore. "I closed it, and he was just trying to protect me." Eric glares toward the portal again, before looking back at me.

"How did you do that?" He asks, and I smile.

"There's a lot you don't know about me." I say, and take him by the hand. _Keep working, and I'll be back within a couple of hours._ I send my thoughts to Abby within the club, and feel her acceptance, before popping us away from the place. He stumbles when we end up out front of my old home, and draws in a ragged breath. "Sorry, teleporting takes some getting used to."

"It's like you're an entirely new person." He whispers, and I nod.

"In some ways I am." I say, and motion for him to lead me into the house.

We're about to step inside the front door, when he turns suddenly. "I don't understand. How is it that you look the same as the last time I seen you? It's been fifty years."

"Let's go sit down, and I'll try to explain everything." He nods, and puts a code into a small panel next to the door. It clicks and he opens it, before leading me into the living room. I'm shocked to see what appears to be the same furniture and décor.

"I tried to keep everything the same, and what I couldn't keep I had replicated. But everything has been redone and updated technologically every ten years. A top of the line security system is in place, along with the entire house being light tight, but all of it is very discrete. The underground room that I once had has been expanded. You're welcome to stay here of course, and if I am to be truthful, then I will tell you about the deed. If anything were to ever happen to me, then the house reverts to you automatically." I smile, in disbelief.

When I had previously disappeared for an entire year, I had come back to the shock of him owning my home, and I had been furious. But now I didn't mind. It was almost flattering. I looked back toward the stairs, and he followed my gaze.

A hint of sadness oozed into the air around him, and he answered my unspoken question. "The upstairs is the most authentic area. Your bed was replicated, as well as the rest of the furniture, and I've had Pam keep the wardrobe of yours up to date every few years. It's all yours to use as you please." He looks at me, and I meet his stare, and I can tell he's still trying to decipher everything that could have happened to me over fifty years.

"Where have you been?" His voice is quiet, and I take a moment to sit down on the couch. After a second he joins me, and I take a deep breath.

"For about three years, I lived in California. I had a little apartment and a job as a waitress, all of it under a fake name of course. Then Niall, my great grandfather, found me." I remembered coming home one day after a double shift, and when I walked into the living room he was standing there waiting for me. I hadn't known who he was at first, and blasted him across the room. He'd stood right back up, and smiled at me, as though I hadn't even touched him. Then he had told me who he was, and that he was glad he found me, and that my powers were more than he had hoped for. "He told me that the Fae war was almost over, but that he needed my help to end it. So I went with him, and he trained me for seven months, before I was ready to fight. I was on the front lines of the final stages of the war for several weeks, before finally we won. I watched him drive a sword right through Mab's rotten heart." The day had been unusually bright, as though the natural world there had known what was to come. We'd tracked the evil queen and the last of her followers to a canyon, where we pinned them down, and the fight was on. All of them died, and when Niall pierced her chest with his sword, all of the light fruit trees died. They were something of her creation, after all. "The difference in time flow between that world and this one is always changing, so when I got back, it had only been two months here. Whereas I had been in the fae realm for almost a year." The time change had always been difficult to predict, and Niall had explained that it was due to so many portals being closed all over the world. It had seemed as though the time change would be less unpredictable when more portals were open, and that had proven true. "We've worked together for the last forty years trying to get everything sorted out. We've found all of the children of the fae living in this world, offering them sanctuary and acceptance. Now that things are back under control, we are starting to open safe houses near all the portals between the worlds. Places where members of the fae can stay in safety, and not have to worry about exposure. There are fifteen portals all over the world, thirteen of them brand new, which now link the fae and human worlds. As decided by my great grandfather and some elders, we're starting to reintroduce the fae into this plane of existence." He cocks an eyebrow, and frowns.

"So the fae are returning here, to this world?" He clarifies, and I nod.

"Not all at once, but gradually we will begin to come back into the supernatural community. If things do not go too bad, then we will eventually be revealed to the human community, just like the weres and witches." He nods, and I think back to when I had heard the were community planned to reveal itself. Speculation had been whispered amongst the world of another supernatural creature besides vampires, and on the fourth of July, 2016, the weres finally revealed themselves. Of course the world had been shocked and pro and against activist groups had fired up all over the world. The Fellowship of the Sun of course had gone against the weres, calling them abominations and monsters. But then the organization had fallen apart when the witches came out a couple of years later, and everyone realized just how much supernatural influence was really present in the world.

"And you, how do you fit into all of this?" He asks, and I take a breath to collect my thoughts.

"Being in the fae realm for so long, my magical blood has gotten more potent, and now I'm more of a half-fae. Niall has told me that he wishes for me to stay here somewhere, to rebuild and manage the fae sanctuary. He and Claude worked together when the war was still going on, so that I now have quite a few powers. One of them includes masking my scent. I promise you would have a hard time not attacking me if you could smell me." He smirks, and bobs his head.

"You always smelled nice before, but I can't imagine you smelling any better." I laugh at his confidence.

"Brace yourself then." I tell him, and drop the mask over my body. He leans forward, unaware of what he's doing, and his nostrils flare. I hear the sound of his fangs dropping, but he doesn't do anything unwanted, and I smile.

"Wow." Is all he says after a minute, I can hear every bit of lust and want in his voice. He tamps down the more animalistic side of his nature, and his fangs disappear. "I never thought you could smell any more intoxicating than before."

I shrug, and glancing down, I take his hand. It's time for the moment of truth. "Niall gave me the choice of where I wanted to go, and which portal I wanted to keep an eye on, and I chose here for a reason. I had hoped to find you eventually, but since you found me first, then I guess it's time to tell you why. Eric, I've spent the last fifty years trying to come to terms with something, and I finally did a few months ago. Despite everything that you may have done to me so long ago, you made up for all of it as though your life depended on it. I'm sorry for leaving, but I had my reasons, and looking back I regret it. I wish that I had stayed, but at the time I thought I just couldn't. I was so confused and upset over everything that had happened, and I just couldn't keep going. So I left, and I'm so, so sorry. Because what I'm trying to say is, that I love you. I always did, even though I didn't see it fully, but now I do. I love you." For a moment, he is frozen, and I begin to fear that I've messed up. I stand, stepping away from him, and move toward the door. Horror fills me, and I realize that after so long he no longer cares for me the same way. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have dumped that on you. I'll…I'll just go." My hand is on the doorknob, when suddenly I feel him behind me. I turn around, expecting him to be angry, or as least unhappy, but I'm surprised to see him smiling. As I watch, a bloody tear starts to fall from the corner of his eye, and I wipe it away without thought.

He watches me silently as I move, as I act, and then suddenly he's kissing me.


End file.
